A Dog's Life 6
by mccabebabe
Summary: Roxy makes a new friend.


A Dog's Life #6

A Criminal Minds fanfic

K Reid, Roxy the dog, Sergio the cat

©mccabebabe

Roxy the dog makes a new friend.

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From her vantage point by the front hallway, Roxy could survey the entire apartment. _Spencer Reid is sleeping in Master Luke's sleeping room_ , she noted. _And Penelope Garcia left for work already. I'm in charge!_ A quick circuit of the apartment told Roxy everything was situation normal.

Roxy knew all the inhabitants of the complex. _There's Bartie the mutt across the courtyard that lived with two big humans and their three little ones. Next to them was Roberto, the man who looked after everything in their little world. Right next door to Master Luke's was a lady they hardly ever saw. She worked odd hours. Even more odd than Master Luke's hours! The other apartment in their little group had had one little old lady human. But I think Mrs. Wiggins has died, I haven't seen her for many long sleeps now._

Garcia hadn't come home to the apartment until very late the previous night. Toting a pet carrier, she'd whispered to Reid for a few minutes and then gone into her room and shut the door.

Garcia had _never_ shut that door before. Roxy's ears flicked in annoyance. She could smell there was…something.

She trotted past Garcia's room again, and paused to sniff at the door.

 _There is definitely something alive in there!_

Continuing on to the bathroom, Roxy noticed something new. On the floor beside the humans' toilet was a box. She sniffed the box. It was full of tiny stinky stones. And in the middle of the stones was… _Is that a poop!? Oh Good Dog! What the hell is that!?_

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she turned around and padded into Master Luke's sleeping room to check on Reid.

He was fast asleep on the bed. _He sleeps flat on his back, front paws spread out beside him. And his head-fur is splayed out all around him._ Roxy sniffed at Reid.

The sudden heat of dog breath on his face awoke Reid with a start.

"Geez, Roxy, you scared the crap outta me," he teased, giving her head a quick pat. He got up out of bed, pulled on some clothes and then asked,

"Hey, Rox. Wanna go for a walk? I promise, it'll be uneventful."

Roxy barked affirmatively and followed him to the front door, giving Garcia's door the side-eye as they passed it.

 _I wanna know what's going on. What's in there?_ She asked. Reid opened the apartment door and called over his shoulder,

"C'mon, girl."

Sighing, she caught up to him and together they went to her park. Half an hour later, after an as-promised uneventful walk, Reid and Roxy returned to the apartment. Reid gave her a biscuit and refilled her water bowl, setting it on the floor in its accustomed spot. She sat and waited while he cut up the meat and vegetables for her breakfast, moving briefly only to get a drink from her water bowl. Engrossed in eating her meal, Roxy missed Reid walking past her to Garcia's room.

He opened the door and a black blur rushed past him. As the blur approached the kitchen, Roxy's intuition kicked in and she turned just in time to see a small black cat.

"Sergio!" Reid called, running back towards them. "Sergio, come back here!"

 _What the HELL is that!? Roxy barked. Where did that CAT come from?_

Her fur stood on end; Roxy's ears twitched and she eyed The Cat suspiciously.

 _What the hell!_ She barked at Reid in an angry dog tone.

The cat stood its—his, Roxy noticed it was male—ground and hissed at her.

"No!" Reid warned both of them, "Dammit." He reached for Sergio. The cat clawed wildly at him but Reid managed to handle him and held him an arm's length from Roxy.

"Sergio, this is Roxy. Roxy, Sergio. He's Garcia's cat. Now, be nice," he told them while shaking his head and muttering under his breath "I'm talking to a cat and a dog."

"She's not gonna hurt you," Reid tried to assure Sergio while also addressing Roxy, "You hear me? Garcia's cat! Nice pet cat! Do not hurt!"

He bent down, stroking Sergio's back with one hand, holding him tightly in the other. "Roxy, Garcia couldn't leave Sergio at her place all alone for a whole week."

 _I don't hurt other animals,_ Roxy barked indignantly. _I just wondered who this was and why it—he—was here. It's okay._

The cat stopped hissing and just glared at the dog. Roxy stared back, her head tilted in question. Her fur finally relaxed and she took a tentative step forward and sniffed the cat.

Reid held his breath as the two got acquainted. Roxy let out a provisional bark; Reid swore it sounded like an introduction.

"Roxy, I'm gonna let Sergio down now. You're gonna be nice, right?"

 _Of course I am_ she barked crossly. _You said this is Garcia's pet. I suppose I hafta be nice, even if he is a…. cat._

Sergio meowed for the first time since the pets met. Reid watched carefully as Sergio batted gently at Roxy with one paw.

 _Dog. I'm not used to dogs,_ he told Roxy.

 _I'm not really used to cats. I'm Roxy. And I'm a nice dog. I live here with Master Luke. He's a friend of your Garcia._

 _Why is my Penelope staying here?_

 _Silly, they're here to look after me. Not that I need looking after, they just walk and feed me._

 _Walk? You go for walks?_

 _Yeah! I do all sorts of things! I swim, I run, I catch balls and disc toys. I work too. Or I used to. Search for people. Because, well, they get lost._

 _Work?_ Sergio was disgusted and dumbfounded. _Ugh. They're supposed to work for us, not the other way around!_

 _I like being busy._

 _I like doing nothing._ Sergio walked around Roxy, sizing her up and then walked back towards Garcia's room. Roxy wasn't sure whether she was supposed to follow. She gave two short shrill barks in Reid's direction.

He eyed the cat as it left the room then turned to Roxy, "Well, that went better than expected."

Roxy agreed with another short bark.

Reid spent most of the day grading papers for his university class students. Late in the afternoon, his phone chimed indicating he had a waiting text message. He saw that it was from Garcia and read it immediately.

 _Will be late. Team still in Biloxi. Probably very late. Please feed Sergio 6 pm. He gets one full can. In cupboard beside fridge._

It reminded him that he needed to walk Roxy and make up her dinner. He set the papers down and headed into the kitchen.

Roxy wasn't at any of her usual spots—by the front door or the picture window. He checked the dining room, checked the kitchen again and didn't find her. Growing a little concerned, he fairly ran to Luke's bedroom. There was no sign of Roxy there either.

"Oh no. What the—" he turned and hurried to Garcia's room and stopped short, putting a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

Roxy was curled up on Garcia's bed, and nestled snugly between her front paws was Sergio. Both were snoring away the afternoon.


End file.
